The party and bonfire, which draws thousands each summer to Duxbury Beach, was canceled on Monday at the selectmen’s meeting by Fourth of July committee member Jamie McNab, the Patriot Ledger reported.

A large presence of piping plovers and their nests forced the closure of the entire beach last year. While areas of the beach are restricted this year, Margaret Kearney, Fourth of July committee member and member of the Duxbury Beach Preservation Society, said the beach is not fully closed yet.

“The piping plovers are a protected species,” Kearney said. “The town and beach reservation, which owns Duxbury Beach, have to protect them.”

Kearney said areas of the beach are roped off where the plovers are nesting. These roped off areas are in the vicinity of where the party and bonfire were going to be held on Saturday, July 5.

“Where there are these roped off areas, it was determined by the committee that there was no way we could keep a couple thousand people off that area of the beach,” she said.

Last year, the committee relocated the party to a field in the school complex.

“It wasn’t successful. People come because it’s on the beach,” she said. “We hire bands and stage and sound systems and arrange for food. We didn’t get enough of a crowd to support the cost last year.”

Kearney said the committee has discussed moving the party to a date later in the year, but it’s too late to make the planning happen this year.

“There’s a great disappointed among many members of the committee,” she said. “They have put a lot of effort into this beach party over a number of the years.”

Despite the party being canceled, the committee is still excited about the Fourth of July parade, Kearney said.

“There’s still the parade and road race in the morning on the day of the Fourth,” she said. “It is a fun weekend in Duxbury.”

The committee hopes to send a survey out to Duxbury residents to get feedback about the future of the party.